


Double the Trouble

by MsMarv3la11th3way



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Awesome, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Gen, Surprises, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-05 01:04:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14605806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMarv3la11th3way/pseuds/MsMarv3la11th3way
Summary: On a brief mission to Lothal, circa 9 years post-Order 66, the Ghost Crew encounters a young orphan trying to steal their mission...with a twist.





	1. Chapter 1

They were back on Lothal.  Again.  Many things have changed in Kanan’s life, from losing the Jedi order, to becoming a respectable member on Captain Hera’s crew, and then making that crew, as odd as it was, what with a teenage Mandalorian and a Lasat.  Yet for all the changes it seems like they always ended up on Lothal.  Usually coming here ended the end of some sort of cycle, generally revolving around employers or missions. 

Usually coming here meant rest.  At the moment, however, Kanan was nonchalantly strolling through the streets of the capital, ensuring that no one would notice him or the large backpack he carried.  Zeb was bringing the other half of the shipment they had stolen from the Empire.  They were top grade power packs and hand-held weapon schematics which they could use for themselves or sell for a hefty price. 

Kanan eventually made his way off the main streets to the back ones, treading through dust and garbage to the meeting spot.  Once Sabine returned from recon, they could head back to the Ghost.

Nothing was _ever_ that easy. 

Three-fourths of the way there, Kanan’s com crackled. 

“Spectre One, do you read?” It was Zeb. He sounded winded.

“I’m here.  What’s up?”

“Uh, we’ve encountered a… small problem…”

“What kind of ‘small problem?’”

“Well, we got past the Imperials,”

“Mm  -hmmm….”

“And gathered the schematics,”

“Yeah?”

“And made it to the streets.”

“And?!”

“So I…had to set my pack down briefly in order for a passing contingent of Stormtroopers to pass without noticing me, and when I turned around there was a little street rat there and he stole some of the disks!”

Kanan sighed. This could be bad. “So you’re saying a kid stole some of them?”

“Yes.”

“And now we have to go find him?”

“Well not exactly. I’m chasing him as we speak.”

“What!”

“Fast little bugger.”

Just then Sabine showed up, joining Kanan at the meeting spot.

“I’ve been tuned in. what are we going to do, Kanan?”

Kanan sighed. “Sabine, can you get my pack to the Ghost alone?”

“Easier done than said.”

“Where are you, Zeb?” Kanan handed Sabine his pack.

“South of the outpost, just passed Epsilon street.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

The Jedi and the Mandalorian set off.

.o0o.

Finding the landmarks Zeb gave him through the com was easy. Finding where exactly they were in proximity to said landmark was difficult. Careful, oh so careful application of the Force did speed things along, though.

Finally, Kanan saw the big, purple mass that was his friend hunched down in an alleyway. Kanan crept to his side.       

“Where is he?” Kanan whispered.

Zeb, having already heard his friend approach, pointed to some shadows on the other side of the street. “Over there. See that group of men? I think he’s already selling off our stuff. Karabast.”

Kanan nodded. Sure enough, the tiny, black haired boy had exchanged something with the less than savory looking characters before darting off down the street. They needed to act, fast.

“Here’s how it goes,” Kanan improvised. “You get the data back, I follow the kid. He may still have some of them.” Kanan stood.

“How do I get it back?”

“However you like.” Kanan set off after the kid. Zeb cracked his knuckles, doing a quick check at his hip to ensure the rest of his mission was still present.

“Oh, yeah. My way now.”

.o0o.

Kanan followed the kid, careful to keep his distance. So far, it seemed that the boy had not noticed him. Dark skin, black hair and what Kanan had thought he saw of dark blue eyes, the boy could not have been older than ten or eleven, though he was pretty scrawny.

The boy did not lead him into some dark hovel, but back to one of the marketplaces in town.  Once hitting the crowds, the boy had slowed to a walk, blending in, and making it that much harder for Kanan to find him.

The kid finally stopped in front of a shop, quickly entering, and Kanan set up to watch for him across the street. Reading the sign above the building, Kanan realized that it was a medicine shop, stocked with over the counter and homeopathic remedies. About three minutes later the boy emerged, and Kanan could see the kid shoving a bottle into his pocket. Kanan continued to follow him as he went through the market, buying food and a large container of water, before heading back the way they had come.

Weighed down with the supplies, the kid moved slowly through the streets. Kanan had shut off his com, not wanting an ill-timed call to give him away. The boy traveled further and further from the normal resident areas, and entered a semi abandoned section of the city.

Several times Kanan had had to duck out of sight, but the Force did not indicate surprise or fear or any other indication that he had been discovered. Finally, the kid entered a dark, decrepit building.

Kanan hesitated. It was more than obvious now that the boy probably did not have any guardians, and while he was not happy about the theft, something had been nagging at him all day.

Again, gently, with great caution, Kanan reached out towards the small, impromptu abode with the Force.

And gasped.

Now that he was paying attention, he realized…

The boy was Force sensitive.

 

For a moment Kanan simply stood there, deciding what he should do. They couldn’t just leave him here, especially considering what he was. If he fell into the wrong hands…

Kanan couldn’t approach the boy. Not without backup, not without a plan. Since the boy was alone, he could no longer risk grabbing back the schematics and letting the boy bolt back home.

He didn’t really have one, Kanan thought with a grimace.

Kanan stayed and watched for a while, and eventually the boy left again, sans the supplies. Taking a risk, Kanan let him go and snuck into the home.

It took a moment of searching, but he uncovered where the boy hid his stash. Now that this was his confirmed hideaway hole, Kanan could risk leaving to gather the others for help. He knew where to find him. While he was there Kanan did a cursory search for any of the potential schematics but turned out empty handed.

As he left, Kanan marveled at just how strongly the boy’s presence resided here, even with him gone. They had to keep him out of the Empires hands.

He set off down the streets, not turning on his com until he was already in the plains.

.o0o.

“A Force sensitive?” Hera’s tone was flat, but her expression was open, giving Kanan more hope of convincing them.

“Yes. We will have to be careful how we approach him about the data he still has—”

“We’re missing two of the disks still,” Zeb gestured to the packs on the seat. He had…reacquired the third from the almost buyers already.

“But I’m sure with your connections, Hera, we can fid a safe place for the boy.”

Hera nodded. “We can’t just leave him, you’re right, but we do need to have some kind of plan before we get him.”

“We have to be quick about it,” Sabine interjected, polishing her helmet as she sat perched on the holodesk, “he could be selling the other disks as we speak.”

There was silence. It was Hera’s ship, and ultimately her decision as to what happened aboard it.

“I am not opposed to him staying with us for a bit,” she finally said. “Once we sell these off we will be set long enough to have some down time to deal with him.”  

“We will have to wait until morning until we can bring him here

“What?” Zeb’s ears perked forwards. “Here?!” 

_The Next Day_

“So we really want him on board.”

“Yep.”

“A kid. A sneaky little—”

“Zeb.”

“—who has already proven himself a thief, traipsing through the halls of the Ghost. Besides, do we really have time to watch him?”

“We do now,” Hera said, looking up at Zeb through narrowed eyes.

“Shhh, there he is,” Kanan peered around the corner, motioning for everyone to get into place.

There was hardly anyone around to witness. Sabine rounded the building to block off the back alley, Zeb climbed it in order to be available from above. Kanan and Hera would represent the united front. 

Entering the street they began to approach the boy, making eye contact. Almost immediately the boy noticed Kanan and Hera, and the child ran into the nearest alley. Kanan and Hera were close behind.

Sabine was already blocking the exit.

The boy froze, fear playing across his face, before morphing into what Kanan assumed was supposed to be a ferocious expression.

“Hey, what’s the deal?”

Kanan tried not to scoff at the ridiculously young voice. “We don’t want to hurt you, we just want to talk.”

The kid sneered. “I’ve never met you before, and we’ve got nothing to discuss.”

Kanan wondered distantly how much trouble that mouth had gotten him in. “Oh really? I think you may still have something of ours.”

Kanan held forth the disk they had retrieved yesterday. Instantly, the kid’s confident posture melted, only defiance was left.

With a sigh, Kanan put the chip in his pocket. “Look, all we want is to talk with you. We aren’t with the Empire, and we aren’t a part of any of the local gangs.”

Sabine had stepped closer.

When they made no moves to cause harm, the boy relaxed a shred, crossing his arms. “Fine, I’m not busy at the moment.”

Kanan decided to ignore the comment. “I’m Kanan. This is Hera, that is Sabine, and—”

From the rooftop Zeb leapt down, landing with a loud thud. “An’ I’m Zeb.”

The boy seemed rattled by the sudden appearance of a large Lasat and stayed silent.

“And may we ask you’re name?”

The boy shrugged. “Call me Jabba.”

Hera raised one of her eyebrows, and Kanan tilted his head.

Sigh. “Ezra. My name is Ezra.”

“Well, Ezra, if you wouldn’t mind, we would like out disks back. Do you still have them?”

“I might.”

Zeb stepped forwards, and Ezra backpedaled into the wall.

“Zeb,” Hera’s voice suddenly rang out. She turned to Ezra. “What if we paid you to give them back?”

Kanan turned to her, nodding. That was a good icebreaker.

Eyeing the Lasat warily, Ezra seemed to consider. “You would pay for what I…took?”

Hera said nothing, letting the kid come to a decision.

“What would you pay?”

Hera shrugged. “What do you want?”

The boy hesitated. “There’s…I…would you be willing to, uh, say, go to the medbay and pick something up?”  

Now Kanan crossed his arms. “You want us to get drugs for you?”

“No, well, not _those_ kind of drugs. It’s this years trivalent H, I think it’s called. The one you can take orally.”

Smart kid. “And why do you need this?”

“You said anything I wanted.”

Silence.

“Okay. I, I’m repaying a friend. He needs it.”

Under her mask, Sabine raised an eyebrow. He could have asked for anything.

“Why don’t you get it yourself?” Kanan asked.

At this the boy looked down. “Under Imperial law, you need an adult to get anything stronger than an everyday painkiller.”

Hera looked at Kanan. This transition would be important. “Alright, let’s go.”

Ezra looked up in surprise. “Now? Oh, now. Right now.”

“Yeah,” Sabine spoke for the first time. “Sooner we pay you for our stuff,” her tone dropped a bit, “sooner we get it back.”

Kanan stepped to the side, gesturing for Ezra to lead the way. He followed at Ezra’s right side, Hera further behind to the left, then Sabine and Zeb dropping back far enough to not be associated with the group.

So far, it was going well.

Kanan didn’t trust the boy for a second.

“So here is how it goes,” Kanan said, and he knew that he had Ezra’s ear even though the boy did not acknowledge him. “I am going to go get the medicine. Once you show us both of the disks, then and only then will we give it to you. Agreed?”

Ezra nodded, wild hair bobbing in front of his eyes.

“Good.”

Kanan was mildly surprised that nothing had happened so far. They made their way further up the market, doing their best to not draw attention as Stormtroopers became more and more frequent. Finally, they made it to their destination.

“Hera, you stay here with Ezra. I’ll get it.”

Entering the building, he immediately made his way to the counter and asked for what he wanted. Fortunately, there was nobody else in the store. After showing off his (fake) ID and getting authorized, he purchased the somewhat large bottle and headed outside.

The price had made him wince.

Now Kanan was beginning to be worried about this ‘friend’. What circumstance would have a ten year old being required to acquire it for them?

His eyes adjusted to the brightness outside, but Hera and Ezra were not there.

The street had been flooded with Stormtroopers.

Quickly, Kanan ducked behind the building, walking fast enough to leave ahead of the arriving contingent, but not quite fast enough to be suspicious.

He turned on his com.

“Spectre Two, anybody, do you read?”

“This is Spectre Five. I see Hera and the kid, they are okay, heading southwest.  Kanan, I tapped into the Imperial frequencies, they’ve noticed their missing disks.  That’s what they’re starting to look for.  The search is already citywide, what are we going to do?”

“This is Spectre Two.  I read all of that.  What’s the plan?”

Kanan paused.  “Hera, ask Ezra where the disks are.” 

Faintly he heard, “Wha—I won’t tell you that!”

Subconsciously, Kanan held his com a bit closer.  “Listen, Kid, Hera’s going to take you back to our ship.”

“What?!”

“And you _are_ going to tell me where those disks are!”  Jedi authority was swelling in his chest growing with every word.  “I’ll bring the disks and the medicine with me and you can get your prize when I get there! Clear?”

At least the kid understood authority.  He sighed.  “They’re back at my place.  I’ll have to show you—”

“I already know where that is.”

“How—”

“Hera, see you there.”  The last thing he heard on the com was, “All I have to do is scream.”

“You’re welcome to it.”  Hera’s voice was flatter than the plains of Lothal.

“Spectre Four, are you there?”

“Right here, Spectre One.”

“Meet me at….Epsilon Street.”  That’s a place they both knew.  “You’re going to help me find those disks.”

“Copy that.”  And they were off.

.o0o.

Hera was confident in Kanan’s abilities.  Sabine had joined her, and they were both keeping an eye on Ezra.  Technically, they were kidnapping him at the moment, but, that was neither here nor there. 

Once they reached the outskirts of the city, she figured she would have to try and soothe the fuming preteen.

“So, if I may ask, do you know where your parents are?” get the hard stuff over now. 

The boy shrugged.  “Dead,” Was all he said.

Hera nodded, allowing a moment of silence as if to commemorate the fact. 

“I know it’s hard. You’re very smart to have survived on your own like this though.”

“Well, lots of kids do it, it’s not _that_ special.” 

A pang went through Hera’s heart, but she plowed on.  “Yet you do know something’s different about you?” Since Kanan wasn’t there, she would make the initial pitch for him to join their crew.  Hera watched Ezra out of the corner of her eye, and saw the response that he tried to cover up. 

Hera continued. “Sometimes…things just work better than they should? Things happen that normally couldn’t?”

They were on the plains now, evening falling.  Ezra immediately stopped and tried to bolt, but Sabine caught his arm and swung him around. 

“You can’t do this!  I won’t let you!  You can’t make me perform for you or anybody else!  I won’t let you sell me to the Empire for it’s stupid reward—”

“That is our last intention, Ezra,” Hera said.  Time to come clean…Most of the way.  “We have been trying to get you away from the Empire.  I have a friend who could teach you to use your gifts.  So you don’t have to worry about accidentally exposing yourself, or be unable to defend yourself ever again.” 

Kanan had told her about the insecurities of a young or runaway Jedi, especially during these times.  And indeed, Ezra seemed to become thoughtful. 

“I just want the medicine for my friend.”

Hera nodded, signaling to Sabine to let Ezra go.  “We won’t make you do anything Ezra.  Just think about it.  For tonight, you will be safe from the Empire.”  Ezra nodded and didn’t resist as they continued across the plains.

.o0o.

Night had fallen, and Kanan and Zeb had finally arrived at the ‘house’.  It had been long hours of ducking into shadows, but they had made it undetected. 

Entering the house, Kanan and Zeb pulled out their glowsticks and began searching the abode. 

“Ahh! Karabast!  All I see is trash and food!” Zeb sniffed a can.  “Ugh…And trashy food.”

Kanan reached into the Force, releasing the stress of trying to find the disks into it.  Again, he felt the strong residue of the boys presence.  It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.  Bright, flickering—

Wait…

It wasn’t a—

Kanan gasped.  There was another child somewhere in here.


	2. Chapter 2

“What is it?” Zeb’s ears perked up.  “Did you find the—Hey! Here they are!” Lifting the cracked panel on the floor that he had stepped on, Zeb retrieved the last two missing disks. 

“Zeb, follow me.”

“What? Is something wrong?” 

“We’re not in danger, just…”  Kanan entered another room.  There was a small rickety bed frame with only a blanket thrown over it.  There.  Underneath it was where the presence was coming from. 

“Zeb, hand me your glow rod.”

Getting down on his knees, and lifting part of the blanket, he used both glow rods to search under the ‘hidden’ spot. 

Despite having already sensed it, he was surprised to see a small figure curled up in a large wad of pillows and blankets.  The small face was framed by damp blonde hair.  Large, pale blue eyes filled with tears as they stared at Kanan. 

“Hey there.”  Kanan saw the boy flinch as Zeb crouched next to him.  “I’m assuming you’re Ezra’s friend?”

The boy made no indication that he understood them, simply staring in terror. 

“Look, your friend is with us, and he is safe.  There are Imperials all over the city, and we need you to come with us.  Can you come here?”

Again, the boy made no move.  Sighing, Kanan got to his knees and looked over at Zeb.  Before they could say anything though, they heard voices outside.  “Lights out! Quiet!” Kanan whispered before the room was plunged in darkness.  Using the Force and his ears, Kanan tracked the troopers outside.  To his relief, they simply passed by. 

“Time to go.  Can you get him out, Zeb?”

“Yeah, I’ll get him.”  Zeb lumbered over to the head of the bed, reaching under as far as he could to grab the small child. 

“Come on, you.  We’re not going to—Ouch!”

“What?”

“He bit me!”

Kanan suppressed a smile.  “Just be more gentle this time.”

“Wha—you—Aargh!!” Zeb growled as he reached under the bed again, more cautious this time. 

Kanan watched as Zeb stilled, and then from under the bed came a faint squeak.  “Gotcha.”

Slowly, _gently_ , Zeb dragged the child out by his forearm.  The child squeaked again, uselessly scrabbling at the floorboards and kicking his legs.  However, before Zeb had been able to subdue him, the child collapsed on the floor, panting.  His breaths were ragged and wet, his entire body shuddered.  Even through the loose clothes, Kanan could tell that he was unhealthily skinny.  

This was Ezra’s sick friend.  Zeb shook his head.  “So that’s the smell.   You humans are rather, well, distinctive when you’re sick.  Karabast, what’s he got?”

Kanan fingered the bottle in his pocket.  Just then, he felt more presences approaching the area. 

“Let’s get him back to the Ghost.  I think we have a few more questions for Ezra.”  Kanan was somewhat impressed when Zeb, without being asked to, took the blanket off the bed frame and wrapped the boy in it, tearing off the extraneous end.  He hefted the tiny human in one arm, and held him close to his chest, leaving the other open for use.  The child squirmed and tried to resist, but other than a small rattling cough, he made no sound. 

“Let’s go.”

.o0o.

Ezra was sitting in the common room aboard these people’s ship. They had given him a blanket, a glass of water, and a bowl of soup. To save face he was slowly eating it, but inside he was panicking.

He had to get back to Luke.

He knew that his friend was in serious trouble. If he had just stolen something else, from someone else, perhaps he could have gotten the credits he needed to buy the medicine on the black market. It was more expensive, but it did not require parental consent.

He had known for awhile that he possessed that ‘gift’, but Luke…nobody could be allowed to find him. He was so strong, the Empire would sweep him away in a heartbeat. The two orphans had only just found each other less than a year ago, the one person he had let himself care about since—

Luke was dying. Ezra knew it. But now, he just had to wait until the ‘saintly and almighty’ Kanan got back with his stuff. Then he would sneak out and get to Luke by morning.

Sabine was sitting across the room from him, Hera pacing in the hallway.  Something beeped, and Hera made her way out of the room.  Ezra watched suspiciously as he took another bite of soup.

A commotion was heard coming closer and closer to where Ezra sat and Sabine stood up.  Suddenly Hera was back in the room, back turned to Ezra, speaking quickly and loudly.  Following her was Kanan and behind them the big purple one.  Ezra thought he saw something in his arms, but Kanan was in the way. 

“I’ll head back and fill the tub with warm water,” Hera was saying, “you start reading the directions on the medicine.  Zeb, bring him, and Sabine, go prep the medbay.” 

Ezra got a good look of what Zeb was holding.

It was Luke.

Suddenly Ezra was on his feet, throwing back the blanket, and following Zeb down the halls. 

How had they—Luke had been hidden!

He rounded the corner with Zeb to see Hera already kneeled down in the refresher.  They were not starting up the sonic shower, but running actual water. Ezra watched, transfixed for a moment. 

“Put him down.”  Zeb was kneeling next to her, and together they unrolled Ezra’s friend.  It was the first time Ezra had seen him in good lighting in a long time--Luke had said that the light had hurt his eyes so he kept the room dark—and was just now realizing how much weight Luke had lost.  He had been smaller than Ezra anyways, now this…

Hera started to reach for the clasps on Luke’s clothes and Ezra’s brain kicked into gear.  “Hey!  What are you doing to him?”

Hera spared him a glance before continuing her work.  “We need to clean him up and get his blood circulating.  He’ll absorb the medicine with greater effect when he is in better shape.” 

Once he was undressed, Hera winced, sucking in a breath. On Luke’s stomach there was a cut, not very long, but relatively deep. The edges were puffy with infection, and it was slowly weeping. She mumbled something to Zeb, and he reached behind him and unfolded a towel, laying it in the warm water so they had something to wrap Luke in there. 

Unhappy with the situation, but unable to think of anything to do about it in the moment, Ezra averted his eyes a bit when Hera herself lifted his undressed friend into the tub, soaking the forearm cloth of her suit.  Luke mumbled a bit, pushing weakly at Hera’s shoulder for a brief second before falling limp again. It was the first move he had made since entering the ship.

Hera swirled the water around a bit, rubbing Luke’s skin, and asked Zeb to go and check on Sabine. As he left Kanan entered the room, having the nerve to send a reassuring smile Ezra’s way before approaching Hera with the medicine.  He already had the adjoining syringe filled with the appropriate dose.

“If he could get down a little warm water before and after, it helps.”

Zeb, having been asked by Kanan on his way to see Sabine, had returned  with a glass.

“Sabine had the room ready. Here’s this.”

“Thanks.” Kanan motioned Ezra over. “Could you hold this for a sec?” he held out the syringe.

Ezra stepped forwards, stiffly standing as he accepted the medicine. Kanan gently pursed Luke’s mouth open before setting the drink to his lips. Ezra bristled at the fact that they were touching his friend at all, but some part of him understood the necessity.

Luke spluttered at the first few drops, before uneasily swallowing a few sips. His throat alone had been a merciless pain since the very beginning of this illness.

Setting the glass aside Kanan retrieved the syringe from Ezra with a small “Thanks,” proceeding to insert it between Luke’s back teeth. At the taste of it Luke arched up weakly, shaking his head and trying to fight the unwelcome sensation, but Hera held the back of his head to keep him still as Kanan injected it down his throat.

Luke swallowed, grimacing as he began to cough and wheeze, deep and wet. Ezra about lost his temper, but they sat Luke up in the tub and got a bit more water down him.

Finally, they lifted his friend from the water, wrapping him in a dry towel. Hera was already walking down to the medbay with him, Kanan insisting he could carry the boy for her all the way. Zeb waited for Ezra to step outside.

The door to the medbay was open and Zeb and Ezra stayed outside and watched the organized chaos within.  They had left Ezra’s friend wrapped from the waist down in the towel.  Sabine, whom Ezra saw for the first time without her helmet, was attaching sensors to Luke’s chest, neck and head.  For such a crummy ship they had a pretty nice medbay. 

The heat in the room must have been turned up because Ezra could already feel the temperature difference.  Even so, Luke was still shivering.  Hera was on the right side of the bed, facing the doorway as she prepped and IV of saline solution and disinfected a spot on the boy’s arm.  This was the last straw for Ezra.  There had been a reason that he had requested the oral medicine!  Luke hated needles more than Ezra himself did, and now these strangers were attacking him!

“Don’t!  Leave him alone!”  Ezra attempted to storm forwards, but Zeb caught him and held him back. 

“It’s alright, kid, they’re just tryin’ to help.”

But Ezra was starting to struggle.  He didn’t know these people! He didn’t _trust_ them!

Kanan turned around and nodded at Zeb, who drug the boy through the halls of the Ghost, kicking and screaming towards the lounge area.  Zeb almost laughed, despite the situation.  Ezra was attempting to kick and hit him with all his might, but it was pitiful how weak each blow felt. 

As long as he didn’t start biting. 

“Alright, that’s enough.”  Zeb pushed the tiny human into a chair, not really having to put any strength behind it.  He towered in front of Ezra to keep him from trying to escape. 

“Look, I get that this is hard for you. It’s been a tough day on all of us. But your little friend needs help! We are doin’ our best to give it.”

“I can take care of him myself! He’s getting better—”

Zeb crossed his arms.

“—or, or would have. You got your stuff, give me mine and then we can be out of each other’s hair!”

“No can do, kid.”

“You can’t just—!”

“Can and will. Look, what’s gonna happen if the Empire found your friend in that shape?”

Ezra quieted, averting his eyes.

“If they find you, if they had found either of you a month ago, no big deal, you outrun ‘em, right?” That was stretching the truth a bit, but if the kid thought he was thought to be competent, he would listen.

“But not so much now, right? You might be able to leave, but he would be taken away, forever, weakened already. Is that fair to him?”

Ezra had still not lifted his eyes.

“Not just the Empire, any number of unsavory characters could have found him. Or creatures! Not to mention he’s actually been getting worse, hasn’t he?”

Silence.

“I know you’ve been doing your best,” Zeb softened his tone. “You’ve given a lot for him, done what’s right. I’m just saying, if free help presents itself, best to take it, you know?”

Ezra was looking up at him with large, soft eyes, although his mouth was still set in a hard line.

But, it was a start.

.o0o.

“Leave him alone!”

Kanan indicated to Zeb that it was time to take the boy, then turned back to help Hera.

“…E…Ezra?...” the boy cracked his eyes open, shifting to try and find the voice, reaching for the doorway.

Gently, Kanan reached forwards and restrained the boy, keeping him still as Hera inserted the needle. The boy flinched and gave a small, hoarse whimper, but lay still after.

“It’s okay, buddy. You’re safe, you’re getting help.” He continued to ensure the boy lay still as Hera moved to inspect his stomach wound. Kanan was a little worried when the boy hardly reacted to the sting of the disinfectant, but the bacta patch would soothe any lingering discomfort.

“I’ll be right back.” Sabine stood and left, leaving Kanan and Hera to finish up with the boy. He had stopped shivering, his angelic little face relaxed in sleep.

“Do we need to get him professional care?” Kanan asked after a moment. “I know it’s risky, but…”

Hera waved a medical scanner over the small form, reading the results.

“I’ll check him again in four hours. If his condition has changed for the worse by then… we’ll do that.”

Sabine returned with a tray of bottles and herbs. Everyone knew that she had a book of natural remedies from Mandalore, ones she often used on herself. There was already a mild cup of steaming tea in a self-heating cup, ready for when he next awoke, and she smeared a pastel yellow, slightly pungent cream on his neck and wrists.

“This’ll help wake up his immune system.”

The three sat in silence, noting that the commotion down the hallway had quieted.

With nothing immediate to do, there was a moment of indecision as to how to proceed. 

Sabine broke the moment.  “What now?” 

Kanan noticed that both she and Hera were staring at him.  _Great_.

He sighed.  “Sabine, you stay here and keep an eye on our little friend.  Hera and I will go get a few more answers from Ezra.”

“And are we even ready to plan about what comes after?”

This time they looked at Hera. 

“Once we know about them, we’ll lift off tomorrow to sell off our catch.  The amount money we’ll receive from them should give us enough time to find a home for them.”

Sabine nodded.  “Are we planning on keeping them together?  I mean realistically, are we going to be able to find someone to take both?”

“It’s a package deal.”  Hera’s voice was hard. 

“It might be risky, Hera,” Kanan soothed quietly.  “I mean, two young Force sensitives both in the same spot—”

“We’ll make it work.”  Hera’s voice had not changed. 

No point arguing it now.  Kanan and Hera left, while Sabine ran the scanner over the little blonde one more time. 

Entering the lounge, they saw Ezra sitting with his knees up and arms crossed, Zeb across the way. 

They sat across from him, facing him directly to be authoritative, but relaxed in stance to be nonthreatening.   

Whatever calm Zeb had talk him into was leaving.  His small face was contorting into self-righteous fury.  Before either of them could speak, Ezra did. 

“I didn’t ask you to bring him.  I didn’t ask you for help.  That wasn’t a part of our deal—”

“Deals changed, kid. In case you haven’t noticed, your friend is very sick.  We’re not trying to hurt you, we’re trying to help.”

“Nobody helps you on the streets!”

“Well this isn’t the streets,” Hera cut in. “We have the resources, you need them, and, that’s kinda what we do.”  Her voice was more relaxed than normal to put the kid at ease. 

There was almost silence, but Hera spoke again. 

“Ezra, I know that this is all going very fast.  You don’t know us very well, but I will promise you that we are enemies of the Empire, and only want to protect you and your friend.  We are going to find a safe home for both of you, together, and ensure that the Empire never abuses you for your gifts.”

“You can’t just take me wherever you want to without my say so.”

“You’d rather stay here on the streets with no home, no protection, no money, no family, no medicine for your friend, much less yourself, and no chance of leaving anytime in the near future?”  Kanan said with a distant logical air, doing his best to not further flame the young boy’s temper.

At that the young boy gazed down at the floor, aimlessly rubbing his fingers together. To his surprise, Kanan felt the boy reaching out with the Force, probably a subconscious instinct. Something about him seemed to relax, though only a little. 

Looking up, Ezra spoke again. “Luke and I get to stay together?”

“So that’s his name.” Kanan noted the brief alarm that flashed across Ezra’s face.  “And yes, you’ll be staying together.” He glanced at Hera.

Ezra nodded, unfolding a little bit. “So…”

“Tomorrow morning, we will be lifting off from Lothal,” Hera began, “once we’ve confirmed your friend does not need hospital care. We’ll sell off the data tapes,” Ezra winced, “and then go from there.” Ezra nodded, eyes widening a bit as he looked behind to see Zeb cleaning his bo-rifle. “’Kay. Right. So can I go see…Luke now?”

“A few more questions, then yes.” Ezra’s shoulders drooped. Kanan hid a smirk. “Not to make snap judgements, but I’m assuming that Luke isn’t your brother?”

The boy had the audacity to roll his eyes. “No. We found each other almost a year ago. He’s not even from Lothal.”

Kanan frowned. “Well, where’s he from?”

“He’s an orphan, like me. He came from Tatooine.”

Kanan and Hera exchanged a glance.  “Tatooine? Are you sure he has no family left?”

Ezra shrugged.  “’S’ what he said. And besides, he got here by escaping a slaver ship, so if there was any family, they were pretty crummy.”

Kanan could practically feel the heat radiating off of Hera as her rage built.  Given this information, they could fill in the rest of the story. Escaped child with nowhere to go and no one willing to help him latches on to the first friendly person he can find.

It was more than coincidence, Kanan mused, that they were both Force sensitive.

Hera nodded standing up. “Thank you, Ezra, for being truthful. And I promise that you won’t regret trusting us.” She held out a hand. “Come on. Let’s go see Luke.”

Glancing at Kanan briefly, Ezra stiffly stood and marched in front of Hera. Kanan turned to Zeb, briefly sharing an incredulous glance with the large Lasat.

.o0o.

They set up a cot in the medbay so the two boys could be together.  Leaving the door cracked open, the Ghost crew met briefly in the cockpit, Chopper guarding the ramp of the ship to ensure that none of the boys could escape. 

Kanan sighed.  “How quickly do you think we can find a home, Hera?”

“Kanan,” Hera gently scolded.

“The last thing we need is them to bond with us, or to think that we’re keeping them when we’re not.”

Hera uncrossed one of her arms, waving her hand vaguely.  “Once we make a jump to hyperspace, I will be able to better ascertain what options we have.”

Zeb and Sabine were quiet. This was for Hera and Kanan to decide, though they would back up any decision made.

Kanan nodded. “I guess we’ll have to take this slow, then. I don’t know what people will be able or willing to take two young Force sensitives.”

They would find out later that Chopper should have been posted closer to the rooms. Not even the Jedi heard the small patter of feet running back down the halls as the doors opened and everyone filed out.

“I’ll take first watch,” Kanan did not head to his bunk. “We’ll go in shifts, to check up on our young friend.”

He set up a chair outside the room, smiling briefly to Ezra inside, whom did not use the cot, but stood next to Luke’s sleeping form, drying his friend’s hair as the rest of the crew retired until their shifts.

.o0o.

Luke responded well to the treatments and did not need to visit the city’s med center. Once the Star Destroyers were out of range, Hera flew under the radar and through a gap in the scans, and they were off.

“So, where are we headed, exactly?” Sabine asked.

“Mon Calamari,” Hera stated matter of fact.

The cockpit was silent. “Uh, you do realize that place is crawling with Imp, right?” Sabine drawled.

“Yeah, an’ we are not bringin’ just our little Rebel selves, but two Force sensitive kids?” Zeb added.

“For every Imperial there are two Rebels or sympathizers,” Hera said. “Kanan and I agreed. It’s practically the closest planet to us, with lots of contacts and lots of people to go to, if you know who they are.”

“Which you do,” Kanan entered the room, sitting in the copilots’ seat. “Also, who checked on the kid last?”

“I did,” Zeb spoke up. “Kid was sleepin’ an’ hour ago, all his readings closer to normal than Sabine’s shift, and his friend was keeping watch also.”

“Good. I’m surprised at how quickly he’s healing. Did we ever identify what he had?”

“One of the local flu’s, plus complications from the infection,” Sabine said. “He was also malnourished and dehydrated, so that would have been rough anyways.”

Hera shook her head, Lekku’s swaying. “We are going to find the best place for them, whatever it takes.”

.o0o.

Ezra stepped into the hall briefly, gasping when he almost walked into Kanan.

“Oh, I…what are you doing?” it looked like the older man was going into the room. The purple one had just left!

“Checking on your friend, if you don’t mind.”

There was an awkward pause.

“Kitchen’s that way,” Kanan pointed behind Ezra. They had brought him more food during the night, but he had seemed reluctant to accept it until he was no longer being watched, keeping an eye on his friend or dozing briefly on the cot.

“Uh, ‘kay.” Kanan was already between him and the door, blocking Ezra from retreating into the room.

Uncertain for a moment, he decided to head through the ship…again.

Checking around the corner, and after Kanan was no longer in sight, Ezra did not head straight to the galley. Instead, he briefly wandered the ship, looking for anything to mark them as slavers, identifying escape routes and temporary hiding spots.

It was best to be prepared. They were looking for another home for them both, but Ezra didn’t trust their patience to last. Like they had said behind closed doors last night, who would be willing to take both him and Luke, even Force sensitivity aside. He had long suspected that that was what he and Luke’s gift were, but now… The moment Luke could walk, they were gone. Maybe even back to Lothal.

He’d heard enough about Jedi to know not to be associated with them. If these strange powers that he and Luke shared were their mark, they needed to disappear, and fast.

But now that they were off, it seemed exciting to go and find a new place to be.  At least they were no longer trapped on Lothal, with all the people whom had known him and could identify him.

Who had left him to rot on the streets for three years now.

He came upon the rest of the crew, gathered around some warm breakfast. The Twi’lek, of course, offered it to him with a sickeningly sweet tone, as if he were some stray pup.

But, there was no point in denying himself. When was the last time he had had waffles…

.o0o.

Kanan was watching Luke closely. A few moments after Ezra had left, he’d began stirring. His voice was hoarse as he gave a soft moan, half flailing skinny arms and shifting his stiff body.

His eyes came fully open, a tad glassy but very alert. Better than he had been last night, near death’s door.

Kanan made sure to sit still and stay calm. Considering the fever and possible delirium of last night, the boy may not remember what had happened.

He didn’t. Upon seeing Kanan sitting there—albeit calmly—he suddenly struggled to sit up, dragging in ragged breaths and searching around the room.

“E-Ezra? Ezra! Ezra!”

Kanan stood to sooth the boy, but before he could Luke devolved into a coughing fit, his body racking as he continued to wheeze and sputter, the coughs sounding wet.

Kanan hesitantly laid his hands on the boy, helping support him as he continued to cough, obviously running out of energy. Despite this, as soon as he was finished Luke continued to try and get away, the blankets falling to his waist.

“Luke, it’s all right. No one is going to hurt you.”

 He froze, looking up. His eyes were very light, not as large as Ezra’s, but brighter.

“How—how do you know my name?”

At that moment Ezra came charging in the door, having heard his friends cries. He was followed by Hera, expression flat in what Kanan knew to be concealed concern.

Luke was collapsed back again, breathing weakly, though his eyes were fixed on Ezra. His Force signature was pulsing with fear, which dimmed in proximity to Ezra. In a flash he was by Luke’s side, soothing his friend.  Ezra had planted himself directly between Luke and Kanan. Luke was whispering.

“Where are we, Ezra?”

“These…it’s a ship, called the Ghost. We-“

“We’re in SPACE?!”

At his outburst Luke began coughing again. Kanan noticed that the sound was a little clearer than the night before.

“Stars, Luke, keep still,” Ezra scolded.

“I want to see space. All those ships, they never let me see…”

“As soon as you can move, the Ghost has plenty of windows for you to use,” Hera cut in gently.

Both boys turned to her, Luke’s eyes wide, Ezra’s guarded.

“I…you look familiar,” Luke said. His voice gained a bit of strength, and he sat up again, slowly.

Ezra supported his back, and then turned to say something, but Hera got there first.

“My name is Hera, I’m the captain of this ship. This is Kanan. He found you last night, and brought you here so that we could help you.”

Kanan nodded, smiling a bit.

Luke narrowed his eyes a bit, concentrating. “I almost remember…purple?”

“That’s Zeb,” Kanan answered. “He and Sabine make-“

“And Chopper,” Hera said with a faint smirk.

“-and Chopper make up the rest of our crew.”

Luke coughed a bit, Ezra reached for a glass of water. “How did you find me?’

At that Ezra stiffened a bit, averting his eyes from Luke. Luke saw.

“It’s okay if you went for help, Ezra.”

There was a bit of guilt on Ezra’s face. “I…there’s-“

“We can talk about it later,” Kanan covered for Ezra.

Luke’s eyes flickered between everyone present, and despite having relaxed some he stiffened again as Hera drew closer.

“It’s all right, I just need to check up on your readings.”

She led him to lie back down, running the scanner over his small form, making a pleased sound at the readings.

That was when Luke noticed the IV.

He didn’t overreact or try to pull it out like Kanan had feared; he simply turned his head and muttered an Outer Rim curse.

Kanan smirked when Hera snapped her **head** to the side to look at the boy, but neither made any comment.

“Your readings have improved dramatically since last night, but mainly you need rest now. Do you think you’re up to eating anything?”

Luke shook his head. Kanan tried to ignore the feeling he got looking at the boy, steps away from being just skin and bones, dark circles around his eyes and skin pale.

“We’ll check up on you from time to time. You or Ezra can call us for anything, okay?”

To his surprise, Luke gave him a huge, beaming smile. Already he could tell that this boy was more open. He probably had not been on the streets for as long as Ezra.

The expression faded quickly to shock, as Zeb appeared in the doorway. Apparently, purple had been the only thing the boy had remembered about Zeb.

“Just wanted you to know, we’ve arrived at Mon Calamari.”

.o0o.

Authors notes: thanks for the support everyone, I love comments although I’m terrible about responding, though I will answer any questions. Chapter 3 will be up before the 28th.


	3. Chapter 3

So funny story, I thought that today was the 28th, but apparently that was Yesterday.

So, folks, here it is.

 

 

The first few days on Mon Calamari were uneventful. Kanan and Hera had gone out for supplies mere hours after landing, and then after that maybe once a day Hera and Kanan or Sabine would go and start fishing for contacts. They had finally set a meeting with one of Hera’s old friends tomorrow.

Luke was getting better in leaps and bounds. Every day they would administer the medicine, and on the second day Luke had been able to eat a little broth and bread. Ezra watched everything they did like a hawk, but as soon as the pain in Luke’s throat had eased enough to talk…he had.

Kanan got the impression that he was telling all the stories and asking all the questions adults had not let him say for over a year now.  

It was agreed that Hera, Kanan, and Sabine would go talk to the contact, while Zeb kept an eye on the children. On a world with this strong of an Imperial presence, even worse than Lothal, a Lasat would stand out too much.

And with delicate matters concerning Jedi, standing out was a terrible idea.

.o0o.

With only the Lasat present on the ship, Ezra was going through his options and opportunities. It wasn’t quite time to run yet, but he would have to do so before they found someone to hand them off to.

Luke had just finished eating a light lunch and was doing something on the datapad Hera had given him. Ezra took a moment to study his friend. His skin had regained a bit of color, the eye sockets no longer gray, though he was still unusually skinny. Even so, his eyes were full of life, and it was nice to not sense Death hovering every time Ezra entered the room. Like it had at his home…

Home. Hah. Orphans did not have homes. The lucky ones got to choose which hole to hide in day to day, the Unlucky shoved into ‘home’ after ‘home’ by the Empire, or worse, for those like him and Luke.

“I…gotta use the ‘fresher.” Luke nodded vaguely at him, then Ezra left. He first made a round of the ship, finding Zeb in the common room, cleaning a large weapon. The Lasat didn’t so much as spare him a glance.

He continued on, to the ramp, where the ships orange ‘mech was sitting. The droid and he had hardly interacted at all, and the boy made the mistake of ignoring it. He wanted exit the ship, to look outside briefly, if only to find the exit to the hanger.

As he strode forwards, there was a strange warble. Looking to the side, the droid had rolled a bit closer. Shaking his head, Ezra stepped forwards again, only for the warning to sound again. Another step, and the ‘mech zoomed in front of him, barking a sharp note.

“Hey, I just want to look outside. Move, droid!”

The droid went perfectly still.

Captain had said: Do Not Let The Children Off The Ship.

When the boy started forwards again, Chopper quickly extended his taser, sparking it as he jerked forwards. The child stopped, then bolted back to his room when Chopper gave a louder warning cry.

Chopper ran his satisfaction program. Mission objective complete.

.o0o.

Luke jumped when Ezra burst into the room, warily watching the door.

“That droid is crazy!”

.o0o.

Kanan sat at a table, Hera on his left and Sabine standing behind his right. On the ground he was the leader, however if Hera should order anything, ground or space side, it would be followed without hesitation.

Across from them sat an Arcona, the first Kanan had seen without it’s eyes yellowed from some sort of addiction.

Hera had called him through a friend of a friend, so the chain of people considered trustworthy was shorter than normal.

The room buzzed loudly with conversation and music, so they had to lean in close to speak quietly.

“So you are looking for…relocation?”

“Yes, but not for ourselves,” Kanan answered. “We have two…at risk children that need homes and mentors. Away from the Empire.”

He could sense some level of satisfaction from the alien at that, which was good confirmation as to his rebel…tendancies.

“There are plenty of Rebel safehouses and communities that would be able to take them.”

“I know that, but these two require special accommodations. And protection.”

Ah.

“I’m afraid that I do not know of any such places, beyond those I have said, but I may know someone who does. Meet me here again in four days, same time. Do not contact be before then.”

He left, Sabine taking his seat. The cumulative sigh could be felt.

“So what now?” Sabine asked.

Kanan looked at Hera, and she took a deep breath.

“We work on selling the information we stole from Lothal. I’m fairly certain the Rebellion will be interested in all of it, but even so we still have to find them. As for the boys…”

“We wait.” Kanan said. “In four days we may have better options. Right now, all we can do is what we have been doing.”

Several minutes after the Arcona had left, the crew did the same out the back door.

.o0o.

Everything fell into routine for the next three days. Luke improved at a speed that reinforced the fact of his strong Force sensitivity, and there were, surprisingly, no entanglements with any Imperials.

The complications came the night before meeting.

It was approaching bedtime, Kanan was outside with Hera and Chopper, helping check one of the landing struts that had been sticking a bit. Sabine was painting, Zeb blowing off cabin fever with training in the cargo bay before bed.

Ezra was _supposed_ to be asleep, but Kanan could vaguely feel him ambling the ship.

It worried him, after all these years, to be able to _feel_ so easily. It could make it easier for someone, a Jedi hunter of some kind, or even Darth Vader himself.

In the next moment Kanan went stock still, his senses overloaded as the Force seemed to scream at him from every side. It was wild and untamed and inconsolable, and Kanan could only drop the glow rod he held for Hera.

She turned to him, freezing at seeing his face. “Kanan?”

He was doing all he could not to hyperventilate, he drew his shields up, tried to gain some distance from this assault-

The Ghost. It was coming from Luke.

The boy?

He bolted up the ramp, through the halls, into the medbay, followed by Hera. On the bed Luke was slowly writhing, tears streaming down his face. The Force was not in an upheaval, this was _Luke_ -

 Kanan reinforced his shields again, approaching the boy and gently grabbing him. Instantly Luke awoke, and the feeling simmered down to a throbbing pain. He wasn’t quite crying yet, but tears still flowed down his face as he panted.

“They’re—they hurt—stop—”

Kanan gently tightened his grasp, then Luke flung himself into his arms, still not able to fully cry, though Kanan’s shirt grew wet quickly.

Hera stood behind Luke, rubbing his back, before Zeb burst into the room. He was sweaty from his workout, and they could smell that. In his arms was Ezra, eyes clenched shut and curled into a ball.

“He-he called for his friend and then collapsed—”

Kanan could feel it. As soon as Ezra entered the room, he could feel the pain of others, somewhere far away, yet suddenly too close.

Then the pain stopped.

Luke let out a single sob, and Ezra opened his eyes, unseeing a moment, though he quickly scrambles from a bashful Zeb’s arms.

.o0o.

There had been nothing to say, really. Luke had fallen back to sleep almost immediately, and the others had left when it was obvious that their presence was only further distressing the reclusive Ezra.

The more Kanan thought about it, the more he realized that he had never been exposed to a Force sensitive that had not been awakened to the Force by a Jedi Master. Babies and toddlers were probed and guided from the very first day, much of their lives already planned out from what was found within.

Luke and Ezra had awakened to it naturally, with no easing into the power, and no barrier once it broke lose.

Someone else must have felt that. Even without the Force Kanan could feel the gathering threat to the children and the crew.

Someone else had to have felt it.

“Hera, I need you to take the kids and leave Mon Calamari.”

Hera stopped dead in the middle of the hall. “Now wait a minute—”

“Zeb can go with you. Sabine and I will take the Phantom and join you after meeting the contact.”

“Kanan—”

“Hera,” he turned to her, resting his strong hands lightly on her biceps, “What Luke just did? That wasn’t just a nightmare. He was, well, _projecting_ hard enough for half the galaxy to feel, they can’t stay.”

“What if someone comes and thinks it’s you?”

“Then at least I can run. That is not a luxury Luke has at the moment. We will com you as soon as we are safe, then meet up to find out next contact. Protecting them is our priority. At all costs, Hera. We took this responsibility, and now we must see this through until there is no doubt they are safe. They must not be taken by the Empire.”

Hera sighed, a bit surprised by his vehemence. “I know, love. I’m just not sure about splitting up.”

“I’ve got Sabine. And you’ll come runnin’ if I find too much trouble. You always do.”

“Alright.” She stepped forwards to embrace him, wrapping her arms around a broad rib cage, and he reciprocated.

“We should probably leave now, then. Less time for anyone to come looking.”

Kanan gave her a final squeeze, then he set off to wake Sabine, whom had slept through the whole ordeal.

.o0o.  

 Luke awoke to the thrum of a running ship. His eyes felt crusted with tears, and overall, he felt worse than yesterday. He vaguely remembered the night before. Such…attacks had occurred prior to last night, but never like that.

He sat up to check on Ezra, but he was alone in the room, though the door was open. Feeling suddenly lonely and downcast, he drew his knees up to his chest, wincing at the pain in his stomach. The bacta patches had sealed the wound and cleaned the infection, but the area was still tender.

This was all like some crazy dream. All of it. Less than a year ago he had been on boring Tatooine, wanting nothing more than to l.3

eave. He just hadn’t wanted to leave on a slaver’s ship.

The mercenaries had come at night, making a sweep of any homes not guarded well enough, breaking down rickety shields and looting homesteads of possessions and people. Tears ran down Luke’s face at the memory. Aunt Beru had always said that if anything went wrong, he was to find or try to wait for Old Ben, even though Uncle Owen hated him. He hadn’t come. But it seemed like forever ago that Luke had even seen the old hermit. Maybe…a year or so, and then he never showed up, not in the market, not on the distant dunes.

Soon after, things had started to go downhill.

And now he was here, future uncertain, stuck in space with a bunch of strangers, his life in their hands, although they did seem to be nice.

Luke hoped that Ezra had been wrong, that they wouldn’t lose patience and drop them off somewhere, or worse, sell them. But he didn’t think so.

“Luke?”

The green Twi’lek, Captain Hera, stood in the door, smiling slightly.

“Where’s Ezra?”

“Breakfast. I came to check up on you, and then if you are up to it, I have a surprise.”

Luke’s eye’s widened. A surprise? For him?

Hera stepped closer, looking at his face with growing concern, and that’s when Luke remembered the tears. He quickly turned away and scrubbed his face with his sleeve.

Hera didn’t say anything. She gently wet a small towel with cold water, then sat down next to Luke on the cot. Moving slowly, telegraphing every movement, she gently rested one arm around his shoulders, then used the rag to dab his face. Luke had half a mind to tell her to stop, that he was fine, like Ezra would do, but…

When she finished, his skin didn’t feel crusted with salt anymore, and his face wasn’t as hot.

“There. Now, do you mind laying down so I can check you over real quick?”

Luke, feeling mollified, nodded and moved to comply. Hera ran the scanner over him, smiling at the results. “Now, let me check your stomach.”

Luke didn’t move as she lifted his shirt, the pain from peeling back the bandage not enough to incite resistance. Quickly, Hera dabbed the wound again, almost sealed as it was, then put another bacta patch over it, smoothing it down with gentle fingers.

“All done. Do you think you can walk?”

Luke nodded. He wasn’t actually sure, but he was getting pretty bored with sitting in the same spot day after day.

He carefully swung his legs off the bed, and Hera came up next to him, having one hand under his armpit, the other at his waist. He briefly stumbled, locking his knees and clinging to Hera, but was determined to make it out.

Step by step she took him through the ship. They passed a common room where Luke saw Ezra, his eyes widening at seeing his friend.

Hera motioned him over with a twitch of her head, and Ezra shot up, grabbing one last bit of breakfast with one hand and steadying Luke with the other.

Eventually they made it to the end of the hall, the door opened—

Luke’s mouth fell open. Stars streaked past, it was beautiful—

They were in Hyperspace.

His legs gave out, and Hera lifted him and set him in the pilots seat. The _pilots_ seat. Ezra settled in the copilots.

It was then that Luke noticed the orange droid Ezra had talked about, sitting between the chairs. It barely registered, transfixed as he was over the stars.

Hera set one hand on Luke’s shoulder, the other on Ezra’s. This was the first time either of them had been in the cockpit.

She was glad that she had had Chopper record. Their faces were priceless.

.o0o.

Same table, same time. The Arcona was late and Kanan was getting antsy. They had had to buy some drinks to fit in, though it had been awhile since Kanan had even considered touching something this strong. Apparently, this establishment did not water down some of their items, and Kanan hardly sipped it.

Finally, almost twenty minutes late, the Arcona came in the door, stumbling down the steps and doing everything but be inconspicuous.

As he crashed into the table Kanan was about to scold him, but the alien spoke first.

“I’m being followed, too late now, take your information and get out.”

He flung a small disk at them, then disappeared out the door again.

Sabine was standing stiff, hands on her holsters, and Kanan was standing as he fetched the disk off the table.

They had made it to the corner before reaching the back door when the first stormtrooper entered from the front.

They waited to run until the door shut behind them and disappeared into the flow of traffic as the Empire surrounded the building.

Halfway to the Phantom Sabine began to laugh, releasing the stress of the incident. But Kanan could not join. Something else was coming, the darkness seemed to hover just above his head.

He guided her into a side street, where there were less people to witness, then motioned for her to follow. They sprinted through the streets, and Kanan could feel Sabine’s confusion, but it would have to wait.

He lead them to the street level above the hanger in which the Phantom lay, and he Jumped down, Sabine following suit, landing on the outer balcony above the open-top bay.

“Alright, Kanan, why the paranoia? They didn’t even see us in time, and according to Imperial chatter-“ she tapped her helmet”- they aren’t looking for us.”

“Humor me,” Kanan said as he climbed down. They both reached the bottom and entered the small ship.

When the Ghost had left, Sabine had hacked into the records, registering the bay as Under Maintenance. So no one was waiting to give clearance for that area, and the Phantom was perhaps small enough to slip through radar.

Planetary, yes. The ship was lost in the amalgamation of traffic.

Atmospheric? Maybe.

If the Star Destroyer had not been sitting there.

“What! There were no reports of this!” Sabine exclaimed.

A snarky reply did not form quickly enough as Kanan moved to evade. He flew casually enough that if they hailed, he might be able to stall for time with fake clearance codes. They made it half way before the TIE fighters met them.

Well, there was no escaping with that if they waited too long. Kanan went straight for as long as possible, depending on his shields to get him there, before beginning evasive action.

Then they were hailed.

“Unidentified ship, you are ordered to surrender yourselves to the Devastator for questioning. Any resistance will be met with lethal force.”

The Devastator.

The Imperial flagship.

Vader’s ship.

How had they gotten here so quickly?!

The shields made up for the extra maneuverability a TIE defender had, and Kanan was able to weave or blast his way to the outer edge of tractor range.

“Sabine! You got the hyperspace coordinates?”

“Already in!”

He hit the lever, and by some miracle, they had made it.

.o0o.

“Lord Vader, it seems that the shuttle has escaped into hyperspace.” The poor Lieutenant did manage to stand with dignity, intent on not being strangled to death whilst cowering. However, the Dark Lord of the Sith was not fully listening. Nor was he unusually angry. The shuttle had definitely held…something aboard.

It had felt like it was hiding.

Interestingly, it had also felt like Danger.

But now that was past. He was here to investigate the strange burst of the Force that he had clearly felt from four sectors away.  None of the Jedi he had hunted had been close to that strength, least they all be found every other week through him simply strolling by.

“Prepare my shuttle and inform the Govenor of my impending arrival. Resistance or distraction will not be tolerated.”

The “Yes, my Lord” was lost in his swift departure from the bridge.

He had a mystery to solve and was almost looking forwards to a challenge after all these years, if that burst of power had been anything to judge potential resistance.

His mood darkened. Because, in the end, nothing would stand in the way of him or his Empire.

Nothing.

.o0o.

Almost twenty-four hours after their near miss, Kanan and Sabine rendezvoused with the Ghost. They had simply shared random coordinates in empty space, planning upon making a few more random jumps once reunited until they were sure no one and nothing was following.  

Upon entering the Ghost Sabine immediately gave the chip to Chopper, who began decoding it. Kanan headed towards the cockpit, where Hera was already pulling the lever for their next jump.

“How’d it go?” she asked.

“Eh, the party was cut short by the Devastator, but we got the info.”

Hera snapped straight, whirling in her chair. “ _The_ Devastator.”

“Yeah. Our contact came rushing in twenty minutes late, practically threw the chip at us, the ran half a minute in front of the Stormtroopers. They found out something was there, Hera. We need to be careful for awhile until we are certain they don’t trace it to us.”

“Well, we’ve got to be out and about long enough to sell these data chips, or we’ll be layin’ low and starving in the cold vacuum of space.”

“Someone’s had a good day.”

At that, Hera brightened.

“Actually, I have. Come see.”

She stood and led Kanan to the common room. Ezra sat at the holotable, and what Kanan assumed was Luke sat on the other side, bundled up in blankets he recognized from across the ship. They were playing a simple game of Mandalorian checkers Sabine had programmed into the table, Ezra concentrating while Luke tried not to fall asleep in his virtual nest.

“What do his scans say?”

“If he continues at this rate, the illness and wound will be completely healed before the end of the week. After that, getting his bodyweight back up is priority.”

They backed out unnoticed, and were met in the hall by Sabine, Zeb and Chopper.

“Do you have our destination yet?” Kanan asked.

“Yeah, and I think you’re going to like it. There are planetary coordinates…for Alderaan.”

Kanan nodded, it was a fairly neutral planet, all things considered, but Hera’s eyes widened.

“I think I know who we are going to meet.”

.o0o.

_One_ _Week_ _Later_

Bail Organa stood in semi ceremonial robes, made with thick fabric, despite it being the middle of a summer’s night.

A small Rebel group (it was too small to be classified as a cell or a faction) had contacted him to ask to meet in person, saying that they required assistance in relocating two people. Bail had helped many find a sanctuary after speaking out against the Empire, so he figured it was something along those lines. Any details were too risky to say even over secured com.

Coming relatively silent, weaving into the lower levels of the palace, a small freighter landed with great skill on the underground pad.  Bail strode forwards as the hydraulics spewed steam, then the ramp descended.

A female Twi’lek and a tall Human male strode down the ramp, eyes wary but stance confident.

“Senator Organa, I thank you for your assistance.”

“My doors are always open to those who stand for freedom.”

The Twi’lek smiles, while the man bowed his head.

“I’m Captain Syndulla, this is my second, Kanan Jarrus. The rest of the crew is on my ship, they can stay there or come inside, whichever you think is better.”

“I have a private wing I use specifically for this purpose, you will be safe there if you wish to rest.”

Hera’s smile fell a bit “We don’t want to impose-“

“Nonsense. Bring your crew, and we’ll get this all sorted out in the next few days. I feel some rest will do you all good.”

This time Hera gave a bow, bigger than Kanan’s. “We are honored, Senator.”

He stood in waiting as the rest of the crew came down. A female Mandalorian in brilliant armor sauntered down, followed by…a Lasat. Very interesting. Were these the two-

No. Following him were two children. Both were small, not just because of their age (less than ten), but it was obvious that they had not come from good conditions. It was also obvious that they were both clean, clothes patched up until more could be found, none of the preexisting crew were the right sizes for them, and overall on their way to recovery.

Bail would do his part to.

The first boy had dark skin, dark hair, and dark blue eyes. He seemed to be supporting the other, who…

Despite being a bit gaunt, Bail could not shake the feeling that he looked like…looked like…

“Senator,” Captain Syndulla said, “may I introduce my crew, Sabine, Zeb, Chopper-“ an astromech rolled out, “-and our two wards, Ezra and Luke.”

Luke. Could it be…

They all started walking inside.

“Senator, we don’t want to take much of your time,” Kanan said, walking beside him while the rest fell behind. “See, we know that you are a friend of…the Jedi.”

At this, Bail discreetly glanced at Kanan’s belt. Ah. He could see a few parts that could possibly make-

“I trust you with this knowledge. I was a padawan during Order 66,” Bail could hear the pain in his voice, “and on our last mission, well, we went to Lothal and found these two. One was sick, and we rescued them both. Now, it is our duty to find them a safe home.”

They entered a turbo lift, piling in and entered deeper into the palace. Zeb admired the size of the place, while Sabine studied the architecture and every piece of art they passed, almost falling behind. The boys looked on in wonder, while Hera listened to the conversation.

“There are many, many safehouses across the galaxy. I’m sure there is someone willing to take two orphans. They are orphans, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, and be rest assured I will still help, but why did you come to me with these two boys? There are any number of places, even within the Empire, where they would have been safe. I assume they are special?”

“Yes,” Kanan quieted his voice, “they are like me.”

Bail nodded, thinking again about the blond boy. He was almost sure, now.

But why he was here, found on Lothal, of all places, raised many questions.

They came to a door, which lead to a large expanse of rooms and resting pavilions. It was underground, but there were many kinds of vegetation, and tasteful paintings and sculptures.

“Rest,” Bail said, “my servants will bring food and attend to your rooms, and in the morning,  I will bring my personal physician to check over the boys.”

Kanan and Hera gave their thanks, then the doors were closed for the night.

.o0o.

The next morning everyone slept in. It was around ten that they physician had come. Ezra had looked about ready to run for it upon announcement that he would be checked too, but overall it went without a hitch. The doctor had declared them fit, and given them a regimen for their diet, thanking the crew for taking the boys to safety.

Ever since Mon Calamari Kanan had carefully woven shields over the boy’s as they slept, but there had been no other outbursts. He was still worried, as he could sense them stronger and stronger every day, and he didn’t know if it was from them projecting or him getting familiar, but he suspected the latter.

Which reminded him, he had one more question for the Senator.

Everyone was mostly lounging around, enjoying clean clothes and picking at the virtual buffet that had been set in the lounge. The boys had new outfits, Ezra in earthy browns and oranges, with Luke in shades of blue and grey. Chopper had been given an oil bath, and Hera was going over some things on her datapad. Kanan had brought a few personal items with him in a satchel and was checking over the handle of his lightsaber.

Luke was sitting across from him, watching with slightly unnerving intensity. Since the boys already knew about the Force and him being a Jedi there was no need to hide.

Then Senator Organa entered, followed by a small girl. The group rallied to greet him and begin planning.

“Good morning everyone. This is my daughter, Leia.”

The girl gave a curtsey, turning to Ezra. “Princess Leia Organa.”

Ezra stared a moment, before Luke nudged him. “Ezra Bridger.”

At that, both Hera and Bail startled, but the children continued.

“Luke Skywalker.”

So it was, this was the other twin Bail had helped send to Tatooine. Now he was here, but why?

However, everyone else in the room was having a moment also. They all, including Sabine, were old enough to at least recognize the name Skywalker.

The Hero With No Fear.

It was a big galaxy, it could be a coincidence, but…

“Bridger,” Bail continued with the pleasantries, “from Lothal? Was it your parents that sent out the transmissions, against the Empire?”

The boy looked down, nodding.

“My dear boy, we were informed you were dead. I am glad that is not the truth.”

They gathered on the couch to talk, the children hovering around the edges, Leia by Bail, Luke by Kanan and Ezra behind Luke.

“Leia, why don’t you take Luke and Ezra to the Garden’s to play?”

Kanan tried not to smirk at the face she made, but the Princess was cordial as she led them out. Two Royal guards were waiting outside the door, keeping an eye on the children.

Bail chuckled. “I won’t hear the end of that one for a while. So, to business.”

Kanan nodded. “First off, I must say...Luke, well, a week ago he had a, uh, an outburst of some kind, with the Force. Ezra too, but especially Luke, are some of the most gifted ‘Sensitives I personally have ever felt. It may be a long shot, but I have to ask, do you know of any surviving Jedi we could take them to? To teach them better than I could.”

Bail nodded, his face a bit sad. “I knew the whereabouts of only one other, before meeting you yesterday,” he said, “Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he has not been in contact for almost two years now, and my agents could not find him when tracing back to where he was.”

“General Kenobi was _alive_?!”

“He was. Though I can give no confirmations now.”

Bail sat back, interlacing his fingers.

“There is…one other possibility. I do not know where he has gone, or if he is still alive, but I know that he survived Order 66. It may be a worthwhile matter for you, as a Jedi, to seek out.”

“What do you mean?”

“You should attempt to find Master Yoda.”

“He made it too!?”

Kanan sat back a moment, eyes wide.

“Well, where have they been, then? It’s been nine years.”

“They went into hiding, not knowing who or where any other surviving Jedi would be,” Bail hesitated, but since this was another Jedi, well, the more you know. “Master Yoda went into seclusion. I do know, however, that General Kenobi went to Tatooine. He had a task there.”

Bail sighed, figuring he should finish the story quickly, as the entire crew was on the edge of their seats.

“They only knew of one Force sensitive. Luke Skywalker, the secret child of the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.”

Kanan reeled, looking over at Hera. Ezra had been born with it, one of the tiny percentages of children created with the gift. Luke…no wonder he was so strong. In his childhood Kanan had always been curious as to what would happen to the child of a Jedi (along with the thousand other things he had been curious about) but for him to have been born at such an inopportune time…

“How do you know all this?” Hera asked.

“I came to the aid of Master Yoda and later Master Kenobi, whom had rescued Luke’s mother from Mustafar.”

Mustafar…

Where Vader had murdered Anakin Skywalker. That was the beginning of the Dark Lord’s timeline as far as any deep search on the holonet about him was concerned.

“For the sake of curiosity,” Man, Kanan thought, Hera is taking this better than me, “who is his mother?”

“Was,” Bail said, “his mother was Senator Padme Amidala.”

Ah. _Of_ _course_ _she_ _was_.

“She died during childbirth, and Master Kenobi took Luke to his father’s stepbrother to be raised, safely away from the Empire. But two years ago Master Kenobi stopped sending updated and requests, and when I sent the agents they also found that Jabba’s slavers had overrun the Bestine area of Tatooine.”

There was a moment of silence, then Kanan continued.

“But that leaves us with the same question, then. Where can we put two children who are already responding to the Force where they cannot be found. I might be able to show them a few things,” he thought of the Holocron, “but without a Master, or even a Knight—“

“Kanan,” Bail said warmly, “I understand. I will do everything in my power to help you and your crew, finances, information, supplies, so long as these children are yours to care for. And I will continue my searches for others who can help. But I have been searching, for nine years, and with the disappearance of Master Kenobi, I’m afraid that we must assume that you are, in fact, the last Jedi. In the end, the decision is yours, and you will have my support.”

Bail stood to leave them to their debate.

Kanan did not voice his self-doubt.

Bail did not tell them about Leia.

.o0o.

“Even Lothal didn’t have this many plants!”

“That is a Vorsesako lily.”

“It-ew-desert flowers smelled better than this!”

Leia kept her sigh inside. Her father had told her about the boys a little bit last night, which is what kept her from biting off their heads, like she did all the other boys. Both were orphans, Luke had been rescued from slavery.

These were the people her father, and someday her, would help.

But why did they have to act like annoying boys?

“You know that you can never tell anyone that we helped you,” Leia said suddenly, although she had been thinking about it all day. “If the Empire finds out we are helping Jedi and Rebels, they’ll kill us.”

“Well, considering that we would also have to tell them that we are the Jedi you were helping, I think your secret is safe with us, Princess,” Ezra groused, crossing his arms.

Luke gave a short cough, sitting on the bench, eyeing the Royal Guards once again. He seemed fascinated with their armor.

To be fair, to someone from Tatooine, everything was new. The entire planet had been covered in two sentences in her geography book.

One of the Guards lifted a finger to his helmet.

“Princess, honored guests, your presence is required back in your rooms.”

.o0o.

Zeb, Sabine, Luke and Ezra were in the common room, while Hera and Kanan had shut themselves in Hera’s room, sitting on her bed.

“We may be able to find somewhere far enough that even if they are, uh, ‘projecting’, Vader and anyone else won’t sense it.” Hera threw out an option.

“The way Luke does it? Probably not, and without a teacher, those incidents would only get worse. For him, and anyone around him.”

They sat back again in silence.

“What room would they get?” Hera asked suddenly.

“Now, I don’t think that was a good idea—“

“If Senator Organa is right, you are the last, and thus the only, Jedi who can show them anything about anything.”

“I was barely older than them when my training ended! I learned to survive on the streets, and they already know how to do that!”

“But now they don’t have to! Kanan, you are more right than you think. You just have to teach them what you know, to survive. They don’t need to be the greatest Lightsaber-wielding Jedi to avenge the Galaxy ever to live. They just need to live, away from the Empire.”

At that, Kanan deflated a bit.

“With them here, everything changes. We can’t run the same missions, they are too young.”

“We’ve got two ships, we can work it out. And with the Senator helping us, we won’t be as desperate. We’ll get funding and resources and an extra pair of eyes to find others who can help. And personally, for me, this is the greatest blow we can give to the Empire. Not only to deny them such a prize, but to give a little light back to those who deserve it. And we can do this, Kanan. You are not alone, no matter what.”

He nodded a bit, quiet in thought, before coming to his decision.

“You know, having two nine year olds who don’t even look like each other, people are going to start talking, since I’m only twenty four any you’re twenty.”

Hera snorted. “We already have a fifteen and a thirty five year old, they’re already talking.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, Kanan and Hera laughed.

.o0o.

They informed Bail of their decision, and he began to make arrangements immediately, clothes, money, contacts. If he couldn’t raise these children like he could Leia, he would do his best to make sure they never felt the sting of want regardless.

He owed that to Obi-wan. And even Anakin.

And especially Padme.

Meanwhile, Kanan and Hera had told Sabine and Zeb before gathering the boys. They sat in a circle so that everyone faced everyone else equally.

“Luke, Ezra,” Hera began, “we know that these past weeks have been a lot, and that you’ve been through a lot long before that. We want you to know that we have exhausted every effort to ensure that you are put in the best place.”

“You’ve found a home for us?” Ezra asked, flat. As soon as they landed, if the new people so much as _looked_ —

“Yes,” Kanan said slowly. He threw a glance at Hera, taking a preparatory breath before continuing.

“Some things have…changed, for us, for the better. And we were wondering if you both would like to join our crew.”

Ezra’s expression flashed to stiff shock, whereas Luke gasped, turning to Ezra with hopeful eyes.

Ezra looked at Luke, then at the floor, then at Kanan before nodding _yes_.

Luke practically squealed before launching himself across the circle and burying himself into Kanan’s arms, quickly springing to do the same to Hera. Breaking the somewhat awkward stiffness on the other side of the room, Zeb briefly ruffled Ezra’s hair. Though it was not as obvious on Hera as Kanan, they blushed furiously.

And so it was.

.o0o.

They stayed for two more days before leaving. Bail had had his crew go over the Ghost (with Hera’s consent) to ensure that everything was in perfect working order. They had information as to how to contact Bail and receive his aid (at asking whether he was sure he wanted to give away that much, he had laughed and asked if they saw _where_ _he_ _lived_ ) but there was still so much uncertainty.

They still had to redo room arrangements, really learn to know the boys, now that they were up and running, train them not to just be good Jedi, or good Rebels, but show them how to be good people. Extra planning was required for everything now, and all Hera could feel…

Was happy.

Kanan was the last to board the ship. His head count had grown bigger, and if he was honest with himself, he was still afraid.

But there was no emotion, there was peace.

However, he wasn’t so sure about the first part anymore.

“Hey, Zeb,” Kanan watched Luke approach the towering alien, “I…I’m sorry for biting you. You know, that first day.”

Zeb paused, a strange look in his eyes before he masked it.

“It’s alright. It didn’t really hurt. After all, your teeth aren’t nearly as sharp as mine.”

He leaned down and bared his teeth in a predatory smile as Luke scampered up the ramp. Kanan shook his head.

He took a deep breath. Braced himself. Reached into the Force.

And for the first time, in his heart, truly accepted this new responsibility.

.o0o.

Deep in Corusant, the Emperor himself arose from his sleep. Something was not the way he wanted it to be.

Palpatine immersed himself in the Dark, searching for what dared step out of order. But that tiny prick of Rebellion skirted from his grasp.

He reached again, differently, along another path, and sensed that the threat was not immediate. He settled back to sleep, intent on meditating on this tomorrow.

.o0o.

 

Darth Vader stopped pacing, his eyes landing unfocused on the Inquisitors training below. Something had just shifted, and he didn’t think he liked it.

There was a faint, faint scent of familiarity, but every time he reached, it simply got smaller. Below, none of the Inquisitors in action or sense indicated that they had sensed anything.

Blind fools.

.o0o.

 

Returning to his hut, Master Yoda paused to look up into the tree canopy. The Force had just sent a signal, a signal of Light. Of future triumph. Of Hope.

Oddly enough, it felt different than he would have expected, somehow. Something was different. But it was Light, so it was good.

The first time in years.

He only hoped that there was at least one other master out there to feel it.

.o0o.

 

About ready to fall asleep in her studies, Leia Organa suddenly sat straight, not knowing why. She did not like mysteries, but at least this one did not leave her feeling cold and lost.

Something was…better, and at least it was something to focus on other than boring homework.

.o0o.

 

Lost in a maze of both physical stone and spiritual torment, a sad figure paused in his wanderings. Leaning on his walking stick, dim, oh so very dim light shone across black marked red skin.

Lifting his head, he smiled at this promise.

Something was coming. It seemed to present itself to him.

And he would wait for it, oh so patiently, as a man who also waited for his revenge.

.o0o.

 

On a distant planet, it so happened that there was one other Jedi Master who did sense it. He did not shift from his meditative pose, but the day would come when it was time to move again. To return.

The Force would tell him when.

 

 

 

 

**Author’s Note: that’s it for the first installment of Double the Trouble. Honestly, I should have called it Exponential the Trouble. I WILL continue updating this series, in one shots and chapter segments, but from here on out there is no timetable. I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to ‘seeing’ you all again next time.**

**Also to clear confusion, the ending is ordered: Emperor, Vader, Yoda, Leia, Maul, Obi-wan**


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